Mchinji is a town and the capital of the Mchinji District in the Central Region of Malawi. Mchinji Boma, located from the Zambian border and from the national capital, Lilongwe, is the major hub of government and general business. The area's economy is sustained by rain-fed agriculture.
History
Mchinji Boma was formerly known as Fort Manning, after governor William Manning. Fort Manning was called a "fort" because the local government offices (the "boma") were once fortified.
In 1930, Fort Manning was attacked by a lion that caused over thirty-six deaths over a five-month period.
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Mchinji on 10 March 1989. At least 9 people were killed, 100 injured and about 50,000 left homeless in Malawi. This generated international controversy because Malawian law stated that one year of residence was required of potential adoptive parents. The effort was highly publicised and culminated in legal disputes.
On 19 June 2008 Gillian Merron, the British Minister for International Development, responsible for Africa, visited Mchinji and spoke about maternal health and the challenges faced by residents.
Geography
Mchinji Boma lies at an elevation of , from the Zambian border. It is situated away from Katambo, away from Kadulama Lambo, away from Daka and away from Tsumba.
Demographics
Population development
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Population
|-
| 1977
| 1,962
|-
| 1987
| 4,921
|-
| 1998
| 11,408
|-
| 2008
| 17,881
|-
| 2018
| 28,011
|}
Languages
Chichewa is the main language spoken in Mchinji.
Senga is spoken by some quarters of the population and Ngoni is also spoken by some major population surrounding Mchinji Boma
Economy
Mchinji is described as "dirt poor" by The Times. Harvesting rain-fed agriculture is the main occupation in Mchinji, with groundnuts, tobacco, soya and casava beans being the primary cash crops. Maize, yams, velvet beans and pumpkin are prominent food crops.
Politics And Traditional Authority Areas
There are 10 Traditional Authorities namely; Mkanda, Mavwere, Zulu, Mlonyeni, Pitala, Simphasi, Dambe, Kapondo, Mduwa, Mponda and Nyoka.
The Members for the Malawian National Assembly are six in total. They are for Honorable Kayo Zimchetera East Constituency (in Traditional Authorities Mduwa, Mponda and Nyoka), Honorable Rachel Zulu Mazombwe for Mchinji North Constituency She was supported by the Malawi Congress Party.
Orphanage
The Mchinji Mission Orphanage, popularly known as the "Home of Hope", is one of the largest children's homes in Malawi. Reverend Thomson Chipeta, remembering losing both his parents, brought orphaned children into his home in 1992 and construction of an orphanage began in 1998. In 2014, American charitable organisation Youth of Malawi, Inc. built a solar-rain water harvesting primary school in Chimphamba Village, Mchinji, for 180 first and second graders.
Religion
Roman Catholic is dominant in the district with Parishes such as Guilime, Ludzi, Kapiri, Kamangilira, Kachebere, Mkanda and Mchinji Boma. It has a Major Catholic Seminary Called KACHEBERE. Other churches are Presbyterian, Pentecostal and few Muslims.
Medical
Mchinji Hospital is the only medical facility for several miles. According to actress Claire Sweeney, mothers "only come here if their children are really sick because work on the farm nearly always comes first." Patients at the hospital are fed a blend of milk, protein and medicine. In September 2010, an extension of the Sena railway was opened to the border town of Chipata, providing a new rail access point to Zambia via Mchinji. The idea of a Mchinji-Chipata railway was conceived in 1982 as part of a bilateral project between Zambia and Malawi, and the Malawi section of the railroad was completed in 1984, though Zambia did not start construction of its part of the line until 2006. Although completed in 2010, the line and Chipata Station had not been used, as of 2025.
Minibuses run from Mchinji to Lilongwe, and local shared taxis can be taken from Mchingi to the Zambian border. The nearest airport is at Lilongwe, away, although there is a closer airstrip at Chipata.
As of May 2020, the Malawi Revenue Authority indicated that the one-stop-border post (OSP), under construction at Mchinji would be completed by December 2020. The OSP will benefit Mwami, Zambia and Mchinji, Malawi crossings. It was built with US$5.8 million, borrowed from the African Development Bank.